Spring Clean your Clothes!

It’s a new year and a great time to clear out your wardrobe to make more room for all the new clothes you’ll be buying this year. Not only that but it’s a good idea to take a look through what you already have and decide what you want to keep, what’s past it’s best and admit that you are never again going to squeeze into the sparkly boob tube that you had when you were 18!

Here are our top tips for how to make a start on the clear out and some ideas about how to refresh your style and look great this season.

The Big Clearout

It can be a bit daunting to go through all your clothes at once so here are some tips to get you started.

• Before you start make sure you have set aside a couple of hours where you won’t be disturbed, get your full length mirror ready and put Heart on the radio fro some feelgood tunes while you work!
• Don’t try and tackle it all at once - Break it down and start with t-shirts and then move on to other garments, or go through things drawer by drawer.
  
• Make three piles: One of clothes you want to keep, one of things that need mending or that you could alter and one of things you definitely don’t want anything more.
• Be ruthless: It might have been your favourite dress once, but that was five years ago and it doesn’t fit you anymore!
• After you have finished, put the things you don’t want anymore straight into a bin bag and if possible take them along to your local charity shop or clothes recycling bin. The longer you have them in the house the more likely you are to put things back.
• Invest in some wooden coat hangers. They will not damage your clothes and are sturdy and look good.
  

Capsule wardrobe

One you have sorted all your clothes out, take a look and see what is missing from your wardrobe. It’s always good to have some basic items that form a capsule wardrobe that you can mix and match. Ideas for these are:

• Plain white cotton shirt – great for looking smart with tailored trousers, wearing with jeans for a casual look and for layering under jumpers
• Black tailored trousers – a wardrobe staple if you ever need to go to smart occasions or for work.
• Black and white cotton t shirts – perfect for layering and great basics that will go with anything.
• A perfect pair of jeans – There are so many different styles now, there is one that will suit you. Try styles that suit your body shape and are classic styles that won’t date.
  

Get the basics right

One of the things that can let down a really great outfit is wearing the wrong underwear. Get this right and it can also make you loose a few pounds as well!

• Get a bra fitting – lots of the big department stores such as Debenhams, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis, all have free bra-fitting services to help you find the right size for you.
• They can also advise about the right style to wear for a particular garment.
• It’s a good idea to have some basic T-shirt bras which are designed not to show under tight tops, and also a strapless bra to wear with thin strapped tops or strapless dresses.
• Nude underwear might not be the prettiest to look at but it won’t show up under white or light coloured fabrics.